Vacuum-generating wave-motor.



G. VON POST.

VACUUM GENERATING WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, 1909.

1,009,260. Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

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gwwmwmm G. VON POST.

VACUUM GBNERATINGWAVE MOTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO.11,1909.

1,009,260. Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C01. WASHINGTON n. c

G. VON POST.

VACUUM GENERATING WAVE MOTOR.

AEPLIOATIOK FILED 111:0. 11, 1909.

1,009,260. Patented N0v.21, 1911.

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WITNESSES.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM 60.,WA5111N01ON. n. c

G. VON POST.

VACUUM GENERATING WAVE MOTOR. APPLIOATION FILED 1120111, 1909.

1,009,260, Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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TINTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

GUSTAF VON POST, 0F STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.

VACUUM-GENERATING WAVE-MOTOR.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Application filed December 11, 1909. Serial No. 532,661.

' markable success on account of the constructional character of theapparatus used. The principles hitherto known for utilizing themechanical energy generated by floating bodies on account of the wavemotion have been either to cause the said energy directly to operatecertain machines or to cause it to compress air, 6. g. for producingsound signals.

According to the present invention, the energy produced by the floatingbodies on account of the wave motion is transformed into pressuredifference in the form of vacuum, which can be utilized directly orafter maintaining in large receptacles. This method offers greatadvantages in comparison with other methods, which advantages will beclearly set forth in the present specification. These advantages areprincipally the following: (1) A vacuum is easier to obtain than an aircompression of a corresponding efficiency; (2) valves and otherapparatus will be more simple and safe in their function; (3) the deadspaces are considerably reduced.

The invention is illustrated in panying drawing.

Figures 1 and 1 show a buoy in a vertical section, Fig. 2 the lowestpart of the same in a horizontal section, While Figs. 3,

the accom- 4L and 5 show details, partly in section, of

the members characteristic to the invention;

A is a hollow body floating on the water and carrying a tube D, a valvemechanism E (Fig. 3), a vacuum reducing device G, a motor H (Fig. 4),and finally a lubricating device M (Fig. The said buoy operates in thefollowing manner: In the tube D an annular chamber 1 is situated, beingopen at its lower end and closed at the upper end by a cover 2, exceptfor the valve 3,

the water rising in the said chamber to the same height as the waterline outside of the buoy, when no wave motion occurs. TVhen the buoysinks between two waves, the body A, being of tapered form with thesmallest diameter at the bottom, will sink with a speed somewhat inexcess of that of the wave mo- .tion, while the water column inclosed inthe chamber 1 or in the whole tube D (which can be made in the shape ofa cylinder or of an erect cone) receives an accelerated motion upward,the speed of said motion being greatest at the moment, when the buoy hassunk to the lowest point between two waves, on account of the externalshape of the body A and the shape of the tube D.

By this reason, the inclosed water column will continue its upwardmotion even after the buoy has ceased to slnk, 1f no reslstance isoffered, and therefore rise to a higher level than that of the wateroutside.

For reducing the resistance against the said rising of the water a valve3 with a large passage area is inserted for permitting the escape of theair quantity above the water column in the chamber 1. When the buoy ,islifted on the waves the conditions will be :the contrary of those justmentioned, the fmotion of the buoy being first accelerated and thenretarded, while the inclosed water column will sink suddenly and with agreat force as shown by experience producing an amount of energy whichwill be much greater than that corresponding only to the difference oflevel occurring at the oscillatory motion of the buoy. Thus a vacuum is.produced, which causes the valve 4 to open, so that a quantity of air isdrawn out of the body A. The valve 4 is provided with a downwardlyprojecting tubular extension 5, the end of which lies in close proximityto the bottom of the body A and contains another valve 6. The tube 5 andthe valve 6 form safety devices against leakage, the former againstleaking of the body A and the latter against leaking of the valve 4. Ifthe leak occurs on the body A, the water will enter rapidly and endeavorto sink the buoy, but on account of the tube 5 the said water would bepumped out at the movements of the buoy. If, on the other hand, thevalve 4: should be leaky, the

danger of filling the buoy with water would also be great, because asuction analogous to that occurring in a siphon would act upon the waterinclosed in the tube D to Ward the tube 5, but leakage is prevented bythe valve 6.

From the upper part of the body A a pipe 7 leads to a vacuum reducingdevice G and further to a motor H, which can be constructed in anysuitable manner with valve or slide mechanism so as to be operable bymeans of vacuum. In the drawing (Fig. 1), it is shown as a pistonengine, provided with valves 8, 9 operated by the piston rod 10 so as tocontrol the length of the stroke of the piston 11. Then the valve 8 isopened, the piston 11 is drawn upward together with the rod 12. When thesaid motion has proceeded to a certain height, the valves 8 and 9 arereversed by means of the toggle joint 29, so that the atmospherical airis admitted through valve 9 and pipe 14:. The rod 12 will then fall bygravity, and the air beneath the piston 11 is simultaneously exhaustedthrough the pipe 15 under a pressure caused by the said action ofgravity. The pipe 15 opens at some distance from the bottom of thecylinder 16, whereby the piston is cushioned by air after passing themouth of the said pipe. The said cushioning is controlled by means of acock 17 The admission of air from the engine cylinder to the vacuumreceptacle is controlled by the cook 18.

An engine of the kind herein described can hardly be operated withoutlubrication. A suitable, automatic lubricating device M for the same isshown in detail in Fig. 5. A

tube 2 1, containing oil and covered by a,

cap 25, passes through the floating body and embraces a float-gage 26,connected to a piping 27 which opens beneath the oil-levelline of thefloat-gage and is connected to the cylinder 16. As the tube 24: istightly closed by the cap 25, the liquid-column in side the same (theupper part of which consists of oil and the lower of water will followthe movements of the buoy and thus be comparatively stationary inrelation to the said buoy. By making the pipe 27 spirally wound it willbe sufliciently flexible to permit the float-gage to float constantly onthe oil. Each time the piston 11 is lowered in the way described before,a quantity of oil is drawn up by the suction produced and then preventedfrom flowing back by a valve 30. The waste oil is pressed down and backto the tube through the pipe 28. The oil thus circulating becomes wellstrained and the consumption is small.

The arrangement now described thus embodies a means for automaticallyutilizing the energy produced by the oscillating movements of the buoyby means of vacuum, and in the said embodiment the vacuum is producedinside the floating body proper. As already mentioned, the invention,however, is not limited to the example described and disclosed, thevacuum being not necessarily transmitted from the tube or receptacle Dopen toward the water to a closed receptacle for being stored; the saidtube or receptacle (D) may on the contrary be directly connected througha valve with an engine, a. signaling device or the like capable to beoperated by vacuum. The utilization of the power may also take place inanother manner than by the engine shown in the drawing.

The general principle of the invention is to utilize the energy producedby a floating body on account of the wave motion by forming a vacuum inreceptacles of sufficient volume so as to deliver energy to a certainextent even during such intervals, when the wave movements decrease orcease.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a. buoyant hollowbody, a tube operatively associated therewith, said tube having itsupper end closed and its lower end open whereby water may enter withinsaid tube, conduits extending from said tube and communicating with theinterior of said hollow body and with the outer air, and normally closedvalve mechanism responsive to the compression and rarefaction of airwithin said tube for placing it in communication with the outer air andwith the interior of said hollow body respectively.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a buoyant hollowbody, a tube operatively associated therewith, said tube having itsupper end closed and its lower end open whereby water may enter withinsaid tube, conduit-s extending from said tube and communicating wit-hthe interior of said hollow body and with the outer air, a normallyclosed valve adapted to be operated by compression of the air within thetube to place the tube in communication with the outer air, and anormally closed valve ,adapted to be opened by rarefaction of air withinsaid tube to place said tube in communication with the interior of saidhollow body whereby air will be drawn therefrom.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a buoyant hollowbody, a tube operatively associated therewith, said tube having itsupper end closed and its lower end open whereby water may enter withinsaid tube, conduits extending from said tube and communicating with theinterior of said hollow body and with the outer air, a normally closedvalve adapted to be operated by compression of the air within the tubeto place the tube in communication with the outer air, and a normallyclosed valve adapted to be opened by rarefaction of air within said tubeto place said tube in communication with the interior of said hollowbody whereby air will be drawn therefrom, and a motor responsive to therarefaction of air within said hollow body.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a buoyant hollowbody, a tube operatively associated therewith, said tube having itsupper end closed and its lower end open whereby water may enter withinsaid tube, conduits extending from said tube and communicating with theinterior of said hollow body and with the outer air, and normally closedvalve mechanism responsive to the compression and rarefaction of airwithin said tube for placing it in communication with the outer air andwith the interior of said hollow body respectively, and means preventingwater from entering the hollow body.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a buoyanthollow body, means operatively associated therewith and responsive tothe action of the waves for causing a rarefaction of the air within saidbody, a motor responsive to the rarefaction of air within said body,said motor comprising a cylinder and a piston reciprocatingly mountedtherein, a receptacle adapted to contain oil, a float-gage therein, aflexible pipe through which the oil is adapted to pass from thereceptacle to said cylinder, said pipe having one end connected to saidfloat-gage and communicating with the oil in said receptacle and havingits other end communicating with one end of said cylinder and a pipeextending between the other end of said cylinder and said receptaclethrough which the oil is adapted to pass from said cylinder to saidreceptacle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

BIRGER NORDFELDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

